Don’t take your eyes off the road. Of course, it’s good advice, but it doesn’t say much about your other senses. Your ears, for example, are doing tons of work while you’re driving, helping you track other vehicles, calling your attention to info on your dashboard, and keeping you engaged with the other individuals in your vehicle.
So the way you drive can change if you’re experiencing hearing impairment. That doesn’t automatically mean you will have to quit driving because you’ve become overly dangerous. Distracted driving and inexperience are bigger liabilities when it comes to safety. That being said, those with diminished hearing should take some special precautions to remain as safe as possible.
Hearing loss can affect your situational awareness but formulating good driving habits can help you stay safe while driving.
How your driving could be effected by hearing loss
In general, driving is a vision-centered task (at least, if it’s not a vision-centric activity, something’s wrong). Even if you have complete hearing loss, your driving could change but you will still probably be able to drive. After all, you use your hearing a great deal while you’re driving. Some typical examples include:
- Your hearing will usually alert you when your car is damaged in some way. If your motor is rapping or you have an exhaust leak, for example.
- Emergency vehicles can usually be heard before they can be seen.
- Even though most vehicles are engineered to decrease road noise, your sense of hearing can raise your awareness of other vehicles. You will usually be able to hear an oncoming truck, for example.
- Your vehicle will often make audible sounds and alerts in order to make you aware of something (turn signals or unbuckled seat belts, for instance).
- Other drivers will often honk their horns to alert you to their presence. If you fail to see the light turn to green, for instance, or you begin to wander into the other lane, a horn can alert you before it becomes an issue.
All of these audio cues can help build your overall situational awareness. As your hearing loss progresses, you may miss more and more of these cues. But you can practice some positive measures to keep your driving as safe as possible.
Practicing new safe driving habits
It’s no problem if you want to continue driving even after developing hearing loss! Here are a few ways you can be certain to stay safe while driving:
- Pay extra attention to your mirrors: You may not be able to hear an ambulance pull up behind you–even with all those sirens going. So be vigilant about checking your mirrors. And generally try to keep an elevated awareness for emergency vehicles.
- Keep the noise inside your car to a minimum: Hearing loss will make it difficult for your ears to differentiate noises. When the wind is howling and your passengers are talking, it might become easy for your ears to grow overstimulated, which can cause you to become distracted and tired. So when you’re driving, it’s a smart idea to reduce the volume on your radio, keep conversation to a minimum, and put up your windows.
- Put away your phone: Well, this is good advice whether you suffer from hearing loss or not. Phones are among the highest causes of distraction on the road today. And with hearing loss that distraction is at least twice as much. Keeping your phone stowed can, simply, keep you and other people safer–and save your life.
- Keep an eye on your dash lights.: Normally, your car will ding or beep when you need to look at your instrument panel for some reason. So regularly look down to see if any dash lights are on.
How to keep your hearing aid driving ready
If you suffer from hearing loss, driving is one of those instances where wearing a hearing aid can really come in handy. And there are several ways you can make sure your hearing aid is a real advantage when you’re driving:
- Use your hearing aid every time you drive: It won’t help you if you don’t use it! So make certain you’re wearing your hearing aids every time you get behind the wheel. By doing this, your brain will have an easier time getting used to the incoming sounds.
- Keep your hearing aids clean, updated, and charged: You don’t want your hearing aid batteries to die right when you’re driving to the store. That can distract you and could even bring about a dangerous situation. So keep your batteries charged and ensure everything’s in working order.
- Have us program a driving setting for you: We can program a car setting into your hearing aid if you drive a lot. This setting will be adjusted for the inside space and configuration of your vehicle (where, usually, your conversation partner is beside and not in front of you), making your drive easier and more pleasant.
Hearing loss doesn’t mean driving is a problem, particularly with hearing aids which make it safer and easier. Your drive will be enjoyable and your eyes will remain focused on the road if you develop safe driving habits.
